Prashant Tewari

Hello! My name is Prashant Tewari, and I am a PhD student in the laboratory of Prof. Smadar Ben-Tabou de Leon at the University of Haifa, Israel. I am deeply fascinated by how a single cell develops into a complex multicellular organism — how cell fates are determined and what regulatory mechanisms guide these transitions. My current research focuses on uncovering the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying skeletogenesis in sea urchin embryos, with particular emphasis on actomyosin regulation, vesicle trafficking, and biomineralization dynamics. In my first project, I aim to characterize the role of p21-activated kinases (PAKs) in actomyosin remodeling and to understand how these proteins influence biomineral growth and skeletal morphology in marine invertebrates. By combining live-cell imaging, quantitative image analysis, and pharmacological perturbations, my work seeks to elucidate how cytoskeletal and signaling networks coordinate mineral deposition during embryonic development. I hold a Master’s degree in Marine Biology from the Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa.